In today’s complex business environment, managing and motivating people is often the biggest challenge executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs face.

Are you:

• Struggling to get the results you need from your key people?
• Frustrated by high employee turnover and disengaged employees taking up too much of your time?
• Wondering how to find the employees that are a good fit for your company?
• Facing continuous hassles with vendors and subcontractors?
• Sick and tired of trying to manage the rumor mill instead of focusing on productive work?

Why is so hard to manage and motivate people? According to a recent Gallup poll, 71% of employees feel disengaged from their work and their company. The cost to American businesses – and everyone’s quality of life – is enormous. Disengaged employees are less productive and can cause a ripple effect in your organization, contaminating the corporate culture and alienating your customers. There are a number of possible reasons for employee disengagement, including:

• Managers who are unaware of their negative effect on their subordinates;
• A bad fit between the employee and the position that goes way back to when they were hired;
• Policies that are insensitive to work and family issues;
• A corporate culture based on fear, poor communication, and a “divide-and-conquer” mentality;
• Traumatic personal issues that have nothing to do with the work environment, but are affecting productivity;
• Lack of respect and cooperation among co-workers or among managers and employees.

Even companies that strive to be a great place to work experience pain. Some of the organizations I work with do everything they can to create a positive, productive work environment. The employees demonstrate their company pride through their behavior and their performance. Management is sensitive to work and family issues. There is a culture of openness, fairness and camaraderie. But despite their best efforts, human resources issues still arise. Consider some of them things I’ve heard from my clients over the years:

• “We are worried about the impending departure of our senior managers as the baby boomers retire. We need to prepare our younger staffers to take over.”
• “I have a valued employee who is not performing to his best capability,” or “who needs to improve in certain specific areas.”
• “My team is having trouble working together and it’s affecting our productivity.”
• “Our organization is having trouble finding and keeping the right people in the right jobs.”
• “We seem to have a few key employees who show signs of disengagement from their work and the organization.”
• “One of our key managers struggles with effective communication, to the point that it is career-limiting.”

Organizations who want to improve performance or help key employees meet new challenges will see the value in engaging The Business Psychologist for the sake of employees and the organization.

1. I will work to discover the underlying problems within the organization that have led to employee disengagement.
2. I will make a recommendation to management about the best course of action.
3. I will work with management to develop a plan of action.
4. Depending on the nature of the problem, I will counsel and coach the organization as a whole, or work with individual employees.

I use a multi-faceted approach to creating positive change within companies. After 30 years working in business and as a clinical psychologist, I know the value of bringing along a full toolkit when it’s time to solve a problem. As a psychologist, I believe in structuring engagements with a protocol and expected results based on that protocol. When I work with your organization or individual employees, you can expect:

• I will focus on business behavior and guide clients through a process of self-discovery about their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and derailers.
• I will mindfully use powerful personality assessment tools with predictive validity, along with targeted behavioral interviewing, to help me work efficiently, and to help your organization place people in jobs where they can succeed.
• I will help your organization implement or refine your structured hiring and promotion plans to ensure the right people are hired for the right job.
• I will work hard on this process and expect your organization and employees to cooperate with me and work hard too.
• We will track our progress with milestones, journaling and homework.
• Management will be kept informed of our progress.

I will help you and your employees unleash the full potential of your organization.

You and your staff will learn to:

• Develop flexibility to better handle difficult situations,
• Successfully change career-sabotaging habits.
• Manage feelings of frustration and anger in the workplace.
• Control reactions, instead of being controlled by them.
• Create work environments where emotional honesty is accepted and encouraged.
• Attract and keep the talent you need to succeed.
• Get out of your own way and get on with the business of reaching your goals.

Hiring The Business Psychologist is an investment in the productivity of your organization. You can get the most for your money and achieve maximum success from working with me if:

• Management is willing to participate to some degree in the work I do with the staff they supervise.
• Management and staff are willing to engage in a process of inward searching to improve self understanding as it relates to their work and the organization.
• Management and staff are willing to learn new things and let go of old ways of behavior that no longer serve them, or your organization, well.
• Management and staff are committed to long-term solutions and willing to work through challenges instead of seeking a quick fix.
• Management and staff are focused on being the best they can be – for themselves, for your organization, for your clients, and for the community in which you live and work.

For a free initial consultation about how I can help your business manage and motivate people more effectively, call 503-248-2163.

Suggested articles: New Psychology of Leadership, Coaching as the Key to Organizational Survival, 10 Deadly Hiring Traps